Updated 9 January 2021 at 08:41 IST
'Devoid of humanity': Maryam Nawaz attacks Imran Khan for calling Hazaras 'blackmailers'
Maryam Nawaz slammed PM Imran Khan for not visiting the Shia Hazaras protesting against the killing of coal miners in Balochistan and calling them blackmailers
- World News
- 3 min read
Pakistan Opposition leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for not visiting the Shia Hazaras protesting against the killing of 11 coal miners in Balochistan and for stating that the demonstrators were "blackmailing" him.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Maryam said PM Khan had admitted that he was not going to Quetta because of his ego and stubbornness.
"The nation wants to know what prevented you from meetings the Hazaras and putting your hand on their heads. Was it due to subodination(tabedari)? Is it more important than the lives of people?" she said.
"If this is your insensitivity and ruthlessness then let us know, so we do not to look up to you in crisis and [know that] you won't call innocent people blackmailers," added the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.
Terming Khan's remarks 'devoid of humanity', Maryam said it was a 'great failure' of the government that the Hazaras, who were a vulnerable population and have been repeatedly targeted in the past, fell victim to terrorism again. "When I asked them what are your demands, they said we have no demands, we only want the [prime minister] to come here and cover our wounds and reassure us that such events won't happen again," she stated.
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Maryam further alleged that Imran Khan had "time to watch dramas, play with dogs and soak the sun in huge lawns, but did not have the time to partake in the pain and grief of the Hazara community".
She also appealed to the Hazaras to bury their loved ones who died in the attack, telling them "the person (PM) you have kept hopes from is heartless".
Imran Khan says Hazara protestors were 'blackmailing' him
Earlier in the day, PM Khan was widely criticised on social media for suggesting that the protesters in Balochistan were "blackmailing" him by refusing to bury their loved ones till he visits them. His remark came amidst countrywide protests and rising political pressure from the opposition alliance.
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"We have accepted all of their demands. [But] one of their demands is that the dead will be buried when the PM visits. I have sent them a message that when all of your demands are met, you don't blackmail the prime minister of any country like this," Khan had.
Atrocities against minorities continue in Pakistan
On Sunday, terrorists stormed a coal mine in Machh town near Quetta, in the restive Balochistan province, pulling out ethnic Hazaras, members of Pakistan's Shia minority community, from their homes and opening fire on them.
Militant group 'Islamic State' claimed responsibility for the attack. Protests erupted in the region after the deadly attack, with the victims' families refusing to bury the dead until the government meets their demands.
At least seven rounds of negotiations have been held between the protestors and members of Khan's cabinet, including Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, but there has been no breakthrough yet.
According to the National Commission on Human Rights, more than 2,000 Hazaras - belonging to the minority Shia Muslim sect, and easily identified due to their distinctive facial features - have been killed in a series of targeted attacks since 2004. They have been subject to shootings mass bombings and suicide attacks, particularly in Quetta, which houses the majority of Pakistan's half a million Hazaras.
(With inputs from agency)
Published By : Gloria Methri
Published On: 9 January 2021 at 08:41 IST